Washington Nationals News & Notes: Nats win 3 of 4 in Atlanta with 3-1 win over Braves…

WILLIAMS VA 5 ²⁄₃ IN ATL:

Trevor Williams struck out eight in five innings against the Seattle Mariners last week in the nation’s capital, and was down to 85 total pitches after allowing a double in the top of the sixth inning when manager Davey Martinez called returned to the bullpen.

Martinez spoke before the game about his established pattern of limiting Williams, the 32-year-old starter, to 80 pitches. And no, Williams doesn’t always agree with quick hooks.

“He pushes me,” Martinez admitted.

“He always wants to stay in the game, never wants to get out of it, that’s for sure. But I have to be really smart. For me, it’s really his second year starting, per se. He’s been in the bullpen for a while, so I want him to make sure he can start 30 games for us, or 20 games, whatever the case may be. That’s one way to do it. There will be times when he will have to eat a little bit. But at the moment he is doing very well and we are trying to manage everything for him.

After a few years as a swing man in New York, Williams made 30 starts in 2023, posting a 5.55 ERA, 5.99 FIP, 53 walks (3.30 BB/ 9) and 111 K (6.92 K/9) in 144 1/3 innings pitched in which he gave up an NL-leading 34 home runs (2.12 HR/9) and established a .300 line /.359/.533 against, in the first year of his 2 years/$13. Accord M to DC

Through 10 starts this season, Martinez’s careful driving and the work Williams put in over the winter and during spring training is paying off.

Williams finished his outing last week in DC with a 2.29 ERA, 2.78 FIP, 14 walks (2.47 BB/9), 43 strikeouts (7.59 K/9) and a .223/.274/.294 line against over 51 IP. , in which he allowed two home runs.

“He really understands who he is,” Martinez said last week.

“He uses all his throws very well. He keeps the ball on the ground, and this is all intentional on his part. We talked a lot about him at the end of the year, about how he had to pitch to move forward, but he came home and he really decided to change his whole routine, and what he had to do, and we see the benefits. right now, and it’s awesome that he did that.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

“But he throws the ball. He uses both sides of the plate. His changeup is really effective, his slider was really, really good.

“It’s good to see him go out there and compete like he is.”

Williams gave the Nationals another solid turn in the rotation in Thursday night’s four-game series finale with the Braves at Truist Park, allowing just one run on four hits and two walks in 5 ²⁄₃ IP.

Given a 3-1 lead to work with when Joey Meneses doubled to drive in two runs then scored on a double by Jesse Winker, Williams gave up a triple by Jarred Kelenic and a sac fly by Michael Harris II, but stranded a two-out single and a walk, then retired the next nine batters he faced before a two-out single in the sixth ended his outing.

Dylan Floro got the final out of the inning, stranding the runner he inherited, and recorded two outs in the seventh. Robert Garcia came out No. 3, then Hunter Harvey worked around a two-out double in the eighth and Kyle Finnegan pitched a scoreless ninth to get a save and lock up the Nationals’ third win in four with the Nationals’ NL East rivals .

Williams had 12 swings and nine called strikes on the night, throwing 95 pitches total, 56 for strikes.

“He put the spotlight on us,” Martinez said after Williams’ final effort. “It’s great to see. Like I said before, he’s made some adjustments, it’s working, his pitches are really crisp, so he comes in and the bullpen comes in and closes the door. It was great. Today we got a hit from Joey Meneses, so that’s a big win for us. We come out of here with three wins out of four games, which is pretty good.

Martinez was asked about the adjustments Williams made over the winter.

“He had a plan this winter to have a different routine,” he explained. “He did that. He worked on different pitches, on different shots, he did it, he was effective, so I give him a lot of credit for coming back after so many years and being a veteran to change some things, and he been great.

Williams won the W (5-0) and lowered his ERA to 2.22 (2.78 FIP) this year in the outing.

THOMAS IS BACK:

Lane Thomas spoke before his first game back from a 29-game absence with a sprained MCL in his left knee about getting out with his teammates again and contributing.

“It feels good,” he told reporters. “It feels good to be back with all the guys. Physically, I feel good. So I’m just excited to go back.

“We missed him,” Davey Martinez said before putting Thomas in the lineup for the first time since April 23.

“He’s a guy that can drive the ball for us and plays great defense for us, so it’s great to have him back.”

When asked if Thomas was ready to go every day or if he would try to bring the outfielder back, Martinez said they would take it day by day at first.

“I spoke to him a bit,” the manager explained.

“We’ll take it one day at a time, I’ll ask him every day how he’s feeling, but it could be a day where I just give him a day off, could be a day where I DH him, so we’ll get there when we get there.

Thomas doubled twice in his return to the lineup, went 0 for 4 in a 2-0 loss in his second game back, then hit a three-run homer in his third start in three games during the Wednesday’s victory.

Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images

“We talked about it — when he got hurt — that we were going to miss him a little bit,” Martinez said Wednesday night. “To get him back and make him play – not just his shots, but his overall game, the way he plays defense, you see him running the bases, he plays the game the right way.

“It’s really good to have him back. I love the child. The child plays the game the right way, so he does well.

Thomas was 5 for 13 (.385 AVG), with three doubles, a home run, two stolen bases and three runs scored in his first three games, and he went 1 for 4 with one walk, one run scored and three RBIs in the Nationals’ 3-1 victory in the series finale in Atlanta.